Nashini Riguretto
by Soushin
Summary: He knew he should be focused on the task ahead but his mind was going in a million different directions and his heart was pounding against his chest as if he were already in the heat of battle. If she died, it would be his fault. KakaSaku, Kakashi/Sakura.
1. Taken

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters in this story. I don't intend to profit from this story, either, so cool your jets. **

**A/N: This is my first stab at a multi-chapter story, so I'm going to apologize in advance for any problems there might be in the future (you know, long waits to updates, etc.) I will try my hardest to update in a timely manner. As for this chapter, being the first, there isn't much going on. Just a little plot background and some peeks inside some character's heads. You can't build something spectacular without a good foundation first. Not that I'm assuming this will be spectacular or anything. You'd be surprised how low I think of my own writing =/ Without any more rambling, here it is! **

**Yes, it's KakaSaku, because I love them so much =3**

***cough* I also love reviews *cough***

**Chapter One**

**Taken**

Kakashi's sandal-covered foot left an indentation as the chakra-laden limb pushed off the branch. A short distance behind him he could hear the identical sound of shinobi leaping from tree to tree as Genma and Raido flanked him. They were getting closer to the compound, but his mind wasn't focused on the possible threats that may lurk in the shadows. He knew he should be focused on the task ahead, knew he owed it to his hastily assembled team to be on guard, but his mind was going in a million different directions and his heart was pounding against his chest as if he were already in the heat of battle.

He cursed his tardiness for once. When the messenger-nin had arrived at his front door hours ago, sweating and proclaiming the Hokage needed him urgently for an impromptu mission, annoyance had been the primary emotion behind the mask. He remembered wondering why _he_ always got called in for duty when he got a few days off. To spite the Godaime herself, he'd taken his time in getting dressed and making his way to her office. Expecting to find a livid honey-eyed woman before him, he'd been surprised to find upon opening the doors a woman near the brink of breaking emotionally. Something was very wrong.

Trying to reason with himself, his mind told him it wasn't really his fault. How could he know the motives behind the hasty summoning? Still, the guilt wouldn't pass. If she died, it would be his fault. They should have set out earlier. They should be going faster. Adding an extra boost of chakra to his feet, Kakashi pushed off the next branch twice as fast. Genma and Raido panted, staggering to keep up with the Copy Nin's speed. His mind wasn't in the present, but rather stuck in the past. Memories of the last three years as partners clouded his vision and distracted him. He knew he should have fought harder to go with her, even though his presence in the undercover operation would have heightened the chance of their detection. Tsunade had promised it was an easy one. Sakura could handle it by herself, being 22 years old and a lot stronger than he gave her credit. Nothing would go wrong . . .

_He approached her silently as her fists clenched, rosette hair plastered to her face by the same rain soaking her clothes. Forgoing announcing his presence, he stood a few paces away to give her some room. She could detect his familiar chakra signature, anyway. The sky rumbled angrily above and lightning split the dark clouds in two. _

"_How could they do this to me, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked suddenly, nothing but livid anger in her voice._

_Kakashi paused, taking a step forward and then another until he was beside the 16-year-old girl, staring down at the memorial stone like he'd done for years now. His dark eye flickered to the freshly carved names on the rain-washed rock._ _Haruno Kano. Haruno Tayuka. He would be lying if he said he felt nothing at the sight of those names, but if there was anything he was good at it was keeping the façade up and making sure the stoic mask didn't slip. _

"_Fools!" Sakura said angrily, but her voice cracked and Kakashi had trouble recognizing tears from rain on the young medic's face. "How could they leave me? Did they even care?"_

"_Everything your parents did was to protect you, even in death." Kakashi replied quietly, knowing the girl's fury was out of grief. "They died with honor for their village. You should be proud." Sakura, however, could not accept this. _

"_I told them not to protect me!" Sakura released a shaky breath. "I can take care of myself . . ."_

"_You know," Kakashi mused, "They wouldn't want you outside like this. You're going to catch a cold."_

_Sakura cracked a small smile at this before it faded into a grimace, her eyes flashing with an irrevocable pain. Bowing her head, Kakashi saw the small shake of her shoulders, her silent sobs being withheld under an illusion of strength. She wanted people to think she could take a loss and continue on. She'd spent her entire life proving she wasn't weak, that she could keep up, being the girl playing a boy's game. Kakashi wasn't sure how to handle this situation, never one for social grace. His hand rested lightly on her shoulder, the smallest amount of comfort. He would not lie to her, telling her it would be fine. That everything was going to be okay. _

_Those lies hadn't worked for him and he knew the kunoichi beside him was too smart to believe a word of it, either._

_****_

"_Why am I even here?" Sakura bowed her head in an attempt to disguise the fear marring her face. It was a miracle, in her opinion, that she'd ever passed the Chuunin exam. To believe she possessed the ability to become more than that, at this stage in her training . . . it was a lost cause in her eyes. Was she trying to kill herself?_

"_You're here to win." Kakashi said simply, closing his book as he stood with the nervous pink-haired shinobi in a quiet, concrete room beneath the stands of Konoha's combat stadium. The very one that dredged up painful memories of a Chuunin exam so few years ago. The scars from Sound's attack on Konoha still remained, but the village was hopeful for the future. Kakashi's dark eye swept over the shinobi before him. She was ready, but she needed to believe it herself. He had every ounce of faith in her abilities, after countless training sessions with the Hokage and himself. _

"_Kakashi-sensei . . ." Sakura looked down once more, afraid of failing him, Tsunade-shishou, herself. She liked to believe her parents were looking down on her with hope that she could pull out a win, but it didn't ease her frazzled nerves. "What if I don't?"_

"_You won't with that attitude," Kakashi raised a silvery eyebrow and she gave him a pout that said she wasn't playing around. Reaching out, he ruffled her hair affectionately and the pout grew. He knew she hated it when he did that, which was all the more reason to push her buttons. _

"_You'll do fine, Sakura." Kakashi gave her the famous eye-crease. "I'll be watching."_

"_Jeez, thanks." Sakura grumbled as her name was called over an intercom. "No pressure or anything."_

_****_

"_Holy shit, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice pierced the quiet medical room beneath the stadium. "You should have seen that guy's face! You made his pompous ass eat dirt!"_

"_Stop shouting, baka!" Sakura groaned, sitting on a cot with her back against the wall, an ice pack to her face. With chakra reserves too low to heal herself, she was forced to sit and endure the pain until an available medic came by. Pretty sure she'd broken her left arm and few ribs, she released a painful sigh, but nonetheless a small smile graced her lips. She had made him eat dirt, hadn't she? _

"_Did I do well?" Sakura asked as voluminous as her scratchy throat would allow. Naruto blinked and whipped his head toward Kakashi in order to hear his verdict as well. The thoughtful silence was agonizing and Sakura was prepared to smack him if he didn't answer soon. Well, if she could find the strength to get up._

_Kakashi grinned, leaning against the wall beside her, "You kicked his ass, Sakura."_

_Sakura smiled and closed her eyes, sighing heavily in relief. _

"_Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." She murmured quietly as Naruto pumped his fist in the air._

"_You're going to have to stop that," Kakashi pointed out, shoving his hands in his pockets._

"_Stop what?" Her voice took on a hint of confusion as she peeked open one eye._

"_Well, considering we're both Jounin now . . ." Kakashi let his voice trail off before a small smile appeared beneath his mask. Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion before her eyes flew open in shock. Was he saying what she thought he was?! His satisfied smirk told her he was._

"_Are you serious?!" Sakura exploded, making Naruto's earlier outburst seem tame._

"_You didn't hear it from me," Kakashi held up his hands in an effort to calm her down. "I'm not supposed to know and neither are you."_

"_YOU DID IT, SAKURA! YOU'RE A JOUNIN!" Naruto burst out before Sakura could even nod._

"_Naruto-baka!" Sakura shouted at the stupidity of his exclamation._

"_Oh, calm down! Nobody heard me!" Naruto defended himself, happy the 18-year-old woman couldn't stand up, let alone beat his ass into the tiled ground. Sakura scowled before her eyes widened and focused over his shoulder. "What is it, Sakura-chan?"_

"_I'll talk to _you_ later, Hatake!" Tsunade's voice cut through the thick silence like a kunai. Kakashi bowed his head in mock defeat, meeting Sakura's excited veridian eyes in the process. Winking at her, she smiled her appreciation before he could disappear in a poof of smoke. _

_****_

Kakashi came to a quick halt behind a large, dead tree as Genma and Raido caught their breath to his respective left and right. The vast compound in the distance was made of foreboding concrete and marble shingling, surrounded be tall, guarded walls and a large clearing that would make taking the defense by surprise incredibly difficult.

"Should we send 'em some exploding notes?" Genma whispered in the thicket, shifting his weight and eyeing their stoic leader and personal friend. He'd never seen the silver-haired man wound so tightly, let alone so mentally out of it. He seemed deep in thought, probably planning their offensive himself.

"Nah, the noise would alert the guards inside, not to mention Hyoto. They'll kill her before we can get ten feet through the door." Raido responded, spitting out a blade of grass and eyeing the building. A thick silence was cast around them and Raido felt the senbon-sucker's gaze, turning to find the brunette's light eyes narrowed in disgusted annoyance. Raido wondered what he'd done when he realized Kakashi's hand had practically crushed the tree limb he was holding onto, thick cracks spider-webbing all the way to the trunk. _Oh . . . _Raido realized the stupidity of his words and bowed his head apologetically.

"It's a bit old-fashioned, but it'll have to do," Kakashi spoke suddenly, his voice sounding unaffected and cold. Genma was reminded once again how scary good his friend was at keeping the emotionless mask in place.

"So what's the plan, ninja man?" Genma asked, flicking his senbon in his lips.

"We'll each make a shadow clone to distract the guards. From what Tsunade-sama says, Hyoto only keeps his shinobi inside and close in case of an attack on himself." Kakashi said, straightening and performing the necessary seals. Each shinobi was joined by a copy of themselves within seconds. "The clones will meet the defense head-on. While they won't last long, a clone is enough to keep a civilian guard at bay long enough for us to slip in through the east side."

A break in the dark clouds illuminated the clearing and Genma nodded, Raido's eyes fixed on their target. The night was thick and dark, perfect for a few ninja to slip in undetected. A light gust of wind lifted the dead leaves around them and an almost ominous feeling surrounded them. Shrouded in the darkness and the chilly air growing colder with the wind, the three shinobi exchanged a look and nodded. Time was wasting and time waited for no one.

"Raido, when we get inside we should encounter a few shinobi posted near the entrance. No matter where we enter, there are sure to be some guards. Take them out as quickly and quietly as you can. We don't want to alert Hyoto of our presence sooner than we have to." Raido nodded, a determined look casting across his face. "Genma, you'll be with me. We'll work on any other shinobi we encounter on our way to Hyoto and Sakura."

"And Hyoto himself?" Genma asked, pushing his wind-ruffled hair aside.

"He's mine." Kakashi said simply. No emotion was leaked, but Genma knew.

"Understood." He nodded and three prepared to set off.

In unison, their clones set off silently across the clearing in the direction of the guarded walls. Behind them lay countless shinobi threats. An untold number of traps to walk into. Hyoto, the devil of a man behind the hired muscle.

And Sakura.


	2. Empty

**Disclaimer: See chapter one!**

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! I want to thank every single person for the wonderful reviews so far. It makes me happy to read the nice things you all have to say so far. I'm actually not sure about this chapter! This is my first time writing battle and all that and honestly I haven't been at the top of my game for a few days. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the second chapter and leave more reviews for this tired writer (it's almost 2 AM here, but I wanted to get this chapter done!) Thank you :D**

**Chapter Two**

**Empty**

As their clones made it across the clearing and the first signs of alert from the guards reached their ears, Kakashi and the others found their opportunity. Scaling the walls with unnatural ease, they landed silently on the opposite side in what appeared to be a garden, overflowing with rare flowering plants and a bubbling rock pond. Well, at least the atmosphere was pleasant enough, Kakashi thought. The group approached a set of large, heavy doors and waited for a moment in case a rush of reinforcements for the gaurds in battle with their clones came running out. When the door didn't budge, Genma nodded and gave Kakashi the all-clear.

Prying open the door carefully, they slipped into the expansive house without a sound and into a dark corridor. Sticking close to the walls and masking their chakra signatures, the shinobi began making their way toward the south entrance, knowing from a set of blueprints provided by Tsunade that Hyoto's basement entrance was located near that wing, the most likely place to keep a kidnapped kunoichi. Genma had snorted at the information. What a sick bastard to have his very own dungeon installed in his home.

The ease at which they were traversing the building was unsettling. Shouldn't there be some form of defense to keep them from strolling in and traipsing through place like they owned it? The moment that thought crossed Kakashi's mind he quickly ducked, having turned the corner to find a barrage of kunai sailing toward his head.

_That's more like it_, he mused.

Kakashi exchanged a quick glance with Raido before the man nodded and turned the corner, sliver-thin wires emerging from his sleeves. Dodging another kunai attack, Raido detected two forms hiding in the shadows, both shinobi. One of the men emerged at lightning speed, producing a small sword from behind him and charging at Raido. He side-stepped the man and delivered a powerful kick to his side, sending him crashing into the stone wall and causing a framed painting to shatter as it fell to the floor. Distracted by the sword-wielding man, Raido barely saw the third group of kunai sail through the air, ducking out of the way of most but not quite able to avoid injury. One of the kunai grazed his right shoulder, cutting a deep gash through the flesh, blood quickly soaking his shirt and running down his arm.

Kakashi and Genma continued down the original corridor undetected by the two men currently in battle while Raido grabbed his shoulder in pain. The only thing it did was piss him off. Raido let his chakra leak onto the wires in his sleeves, strengthening them to be as tough as steel and sharp as knives. He flicked one arm out as the man with the sword rushed him again and the wire wrapped around his ankle, cutting deep into his skin and forcing a startled cry from his mouth. He slammed into the floor with a deafening crash, dropping the sword as the wire cut to the bone. Raido ducked another kunai from the second assailant and kicked the sword away, metal clattering against the floor until it slid into the wall a good twenty feet from the downed man. Raido grabbed a kunai of his own and mercilessly slit the wailing man's throat, his pained cries turning into gurgles as blood poured from his cut neck and mouth.

Raido straightened and released the wire attatched to the dead man's leg, turning toward the second man. With the same bloody kunai he'd used to kill the last man, Raido pushed chakra into his feet and ran toward the chakra signature, deflecting the kunai thrown at him with his own. Suddenly, Raido flung the kunai forward and it sailed by the man's head.

"Missed me," The man smirked as he pulled a handful of shuriken from a pouch on his side, intent on finishing the pesky intruder. His sly grin faded as he released a stunned gasp after Raido pulled on the wire, bringing the kunai flying back at the man before impaling him in the back of the neck. He was dead before he hit the ground. Raido released the wire once more and exhaled, pulling out some bandaging for his arm. As long as he stopped the bleeding, he could keep fighting. As he pulled the bandages from his back pouch, a trio of shinobi guards rounded the corner and stopped upon seeing him.

"Damnit," He grimaced as he yanked out a kunai and deflected the seven or so sailing toward him.

The bandaging would have to wait.

****

Kakashi was surprised to find no resistance once him and Genma were out of the immediate line of fire. Running through the empty, pristine corridors was effortless as they passed dark and empty rooms on either side of them. Surely, Kakashi had remembered correctly that Hyoto had a wife as well as a few concubines. If that were the case, why were they seemingly alone in the vast mansion save for a few guards? Where were the cooks and maids and other workers of convenience sure to be scampering around the building? Had Hyoto anticipated their infiltration?

Forcing these distracting thoughts from his head, Kakashi and Genma came to a halt just before rounding the corner into a large, well-decorated foyer. Headband already up, Kakashi's mismatched eyes scanned the seemingly empty room before settling on their targeted door. The door to Hyoto's basement. A moment of hesitation was allowed. Unless Hyoto had pulled up stakes and made a run for it, it didn't make sense to Kakashi that the door to his _personal dungeon_ would be left unguarded. Both shinobi suddenly tensed when they heard the soft patter of feet running against polished tile. It was incredibly quiet and stealthy, and had they not been shinobi themselves they wouldn't have heard it. Whoever it was had also been masking their chakra.

"Be ready," Kakashi motioned for Genma to be prepared for an attack, the senbon sucker nodding in anticipation. Kakashi's hand gripped a kunai, prepared to thrust the blade at the nearest threat. The footsteps grew nearer and nearer, appearing to be coming from a smaller hallway running parallel to the corridor they were poised in now. Shifting into a stance better suited for combat, Kakashi counted the seconds until the unknown target would be in sight.

_Three . . . two . . . one!_

"Shit!" Raido hissed as Kakashi and Genma sprang from the corner, weapons drawn menacingly. It took the pair a stunned moment before they realized the man before them wasn't a threat.

"Raido, fuck!" Genma cursed, releasing a breath as his heart pounded against his chest. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I took care of those two from the entrance," Raido murmured, keeping his voice low. His shoulder was now bandaged but his hand still cradled the wound. "I only caught three more on the way to you. Is it just me or are Hyoto's guards some inexperienced bastards?"

"Inexperienced?" Genma snorted, indicating the man's injured shoulder. Raido shot the man a glare.

"Inexperienced thus far, but we don't know what Hyoto's saved for his personal guard." Kakashi brought the men back to the mission, not in the mood to get into an argument. "That is, if Hyoto is even here. Apart from being somewhere in the building, he has to be in there." Kakashi indicated the door to the basement.

"I don't think he's in the house," Raido spoke suddenly, "I did a quick sweep of the first floor after I finished off the last three. According to Tsunade-sama's blue prints, the second floor is all kitchens and quarters for the help. Even the master chambers were empty, and they were a mess."

"I guess the bastard got out of here real quick when he found out we were on our way," Genma grimaced.

"And that could be the reason for the lack of substantial resistance," Raido continued. "Maybe he bolted and took his best men with him."

Kakashi considered this for a moment before deciding they'd wasted enough time. If some unexpected threat lay beyond the next door, he was as prepared as he was ever going to be. A shinobi's life was depending on them. It would be more appropriate to say such a thing, but Kakashi was dismayed to realize his personal investments ran much deeper than professional duty on this one. Hadn't he always prided himself on being the master of keeping the emotions away from work? Hell, you'd be hard pressed to find an emotional Copy Nin in day to day conversation. He knew why it was dangerous to get personally involved with missions like these. Things could go wrong because one ninja was distracted and an infinite amount of events could occur in a sort of chain reaction. You just didn't do it. It was one of the first lessons new Genin and even Academy students learned.

But despite this, he _was_ taking it personally. Instead of the blank professionalism usually displayed while on missions, Kakashi could feel only wave after wave of incredible, violent anger with concern trickling through every now and then. He wanted to break every bone in Hyoto's body for even thinking about touching Sakura. Thousands of thoughts had flooded through his mind since receiving the news that Sakura's safety was in immediate danger, that she herself had sent a warning, a request for help, just hours before the messenger had shown up on his doorstep. Thoughts of what could have gone wrong on such a simple mission, of what Hyoto was capable of. There was also the horrifying fact that unlike most male shinobi captured, kunoichi had a higher chance of being abused not only physically and mentally while incarcerated but sexually as well. The thought disgusted the silver-haired ninja and he set off for the door before his two counterparts could even speak.

She was one of his first students. One of his three _only_ students. A member of the original Team 7. Of course, Kakashi reasoned, she meant more to him than any other shinobi he had been assigned to rescue. He'd personally seen her grow from an unconfident girl who cried on the drop of hat and chased after boys into a powerful kunoichi who trained under the Hokage herself. Though some of the insignificant flaws still remained, even after three years of working personally as her partner on missions, Kakashi had seen in incredible amount of growth. It illicited an untold amount of feelings within him. Guilt for not showing her the attention she deserved and needed as a Genin. Shame for having opted to tutor Sasuke and then Naruto, but hardly showing her the time of day until she was forced to look elsewhere, for someone better suited at her strengths. But most of all, pride. He'd felt the familiar swell of pride and respect for the young woman since they'd began working together on mission after mission. It came after she mastered a new jutsu or took out a tough target. The fact that the thought that someone had hurt her was too overwhelming to focus on, and Kakashi wrote it off as the usual concern one would feel for a close colleague and friend.

Which is why he hadn't expected the onslaught of emotions when he'd thrown open the door and quickly made his way down the dark, stone steps.

"Oh, shit," Genma felt the breath whoosh out of him with the comment as his eyes swept over the state of the pink-haired kunoichi. Quickly, his eyes flickered to the Copy Nin beside him. Unreadable as ever.

"Raido, are the explosives set?" Kakashi asked blankly, but his voice was too sharp. Getting over the initial shock, he quickly moved forward, Genma by his side, and the two knelt beside the unconscious shinobi. When they'd stepped into the soft light of the stone-walled cavern, they were greeted by the sight of a severely injured Sakura lying in a heap on the floor. Skin and hair covered with blood, presumably her own, and every inch of her body marred with cuts and angry, purple bruises. Some gashes were deep enough that even with the best medical attention by Tsunade herself, they were sure to leave permanent scars. The amount of bloodloss alone was frightening. Kakashi felt the first pulse of fear course through his body as he tentatively searched for her chakra signature and found none, but then his mind assured him of the possibility that she was just incredibly low, which still was unsettling, or perhaps Hyoto and his men had injected her with a chakra-blocking serum. It was very possible considering the damage one of her chakra-laden fists could do. There would have been no way to bind her without some sort of buffer.

"Yes. This place will fold like a house of cards on your word." Raido replied quietly, voice grave.

Sakura's clothes were torn and bloodied, but _on_, giving Kakashi at least some relief when it came to the types of torture she had likely been subjected to. Carefully, Genma helped turn the kunoichi onto her back as Kakashi's gloved hands lightly prodded her neck with a bit of chakra added in, careful to avoid any gashes or bruising. He sighed in slight relief to find no evidence of broken bones. There had been an untold number of cases where rescued shinobi had been evacuated only to die on the return trip home because a clumsy savior had failed to realize their comrade had sustained a broken neck. In the best cases where this ignorance was involved, some shinobi were left only partially paralyzed, still a very crippling and career-ending injury to sustain in their line of work. Sakura's lips were cracked and bloody, but tinged with blue as well. Kakashi realized the sub-freezing temperature of the underground cavern and knew it would still be chilly outside. He unzipped his vest and Genma helped him slip in over the unsconscious woman's shoulders. Zipping it up, his fingers brushed Sakura's cheek and he stopped, swallowing back the anger threatening to break the calm façade. Hyoto had not been in the basement. It was likely he had ran away. The thought that the bastard would be allowed to slide into the woodwork, never to be seen again made Kakashi's blood course with anger and his jaw clench to keep the string of obscenities in.

As if cradling a newborn child, Kakashi picked Sakura up into his arms and turned to Raido.

"How long do you have the charge rigged for?" The Copy Nin asked, instinctively curling the woman in his arms protectively against his chest, her head tucked against his shoulder.

"Ten seconds once I pull the seal, but we'll be a safe distance from the compound before I even reach it." The man responded, Kakashi nodding and leading the way out. Wary of possible attack, Genma and Raido kept weapons drawn in order to protect their pink-haired kunoichi. They would be damned if anyone tried to get to her now, all three men unable to keep the protective vibes from guarding their actions. Genma smirked as the group fled the compound from the side entrance once more, still able to hear the shouts of guards from the wall surrounding the compound. Their clones should have been gone by now and they were probably in search of the real intruders. They backtracked until they reached the grouping of dead trees they had originally stopped at before.

"All clear?" Raido asked. Kakashi nodded his approval as the man reached out toward one of the thousands of looming trees and yanked a seal he'd placed on the trunk. In ten seconds, the explosives he'd planted around the compound while Kakashi and Genma made their way to Sakura would detonate, destroying the compound and any unfortunate suckers to be left inside or around it. They didn't have time to appreciate their work, though. Sakura desperately needed a hospital and Konoha was hours away, even if they ran the entire distance. It would be strenuous to push themselves the entire way there without a break. Their chakra was already beginning to run low from the initial tiresome journey. Kakashi's foot pushed off a limb with twice his usual speed, picking up the pace as he felt the blood from numerous wounds seep into his shirt and stain his gloves.

He didn't even flinch as the monstrous explosion sounded behind them.


	3. Gone

**Disclaimer: See chapter one!**

**A/N: Finally! Here's chapter three! I apologize for the wait. It was a little bit longer than previously, but I was on vacation (which sucked! I'm glad I'm back to write more chapters!). Thank you to everyone who wrote a review! I appreciate all of them and I shower you all with cookies and sunshine =3 Such nice words make me want to get straight to writing more chapters!**

**Chapter Three**

**Gone**

By the time the group had stumbled through the gates of Konoha, Kakashi wasn't sure how much of his chakra remained, if any at all. Sakura might look petite and overall unintimidating but after carrying her for over six hours he knew he was going to be feeling some pain in the morning. However, he pushed all meaningless thoughts aside as Kotetsu took off toward the hospital to prepare them for the injured shinobi's arrival. The Copy Nin's concern for her survival had been the only thing pushing him further as Genma and Raido struggled to keep up. On multiple occasions they had offered to carry the kunoichi but Kakashi never responded, dark eye staring ahead and too focused on his task to bother with what his comrades were saying.

Kakashi hated the overwhelming feeling of uselessness that overcame him as Sakura was taken from him at the hospital and rushed into an emergency room used for procedures. Dumbstruck, he stood in the hall with a blood-stained shirt and arms hanging limply by his sides as nurses and medics ran to and from the room, shouting orders and calling names. He should leave and get cleaned up. They didn't need him anymore. He'd done his duty in delivering her to help. Unfortunately, the stream of sensible thoughts didn't quite reach his feet which were rooted to the spot.

"There he is, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi caught sound of a meek voice to his right, turning his head to see a young medic pointing in his direction. Approaching him, the blonde-haired Hokage gave him one of her sternest glares with an underlying current of concern.

"Hatake, go to the waiting room. Go home. Go somewhere." She said curtly, making her way toward Sakura's room after expecting full cooperation. Being Hokage had its perks afterall, one of which being compliant obedience from those under her.

"No."

Tsunade came to a screeching halt and paused with her hand on the doorframe. Turning, she took a step back at the masked man's proximity. He'd been following her and he wanted into the room, dark eye watching her with mock patience, waiting for her to speak.

"There's nothing you can do here," She told him, blocking the doorway. "You'll only get in the way."

"You don't understand—" Kakashi began, trying desperately to make her see that he _needed_ to be in that room. Needed to make sure Sakura—his former student, his partner, his best friend, _whatever_ she was to him now—was going to be alright. He didn't normally go against a direct order from the Hokage, but this time he didn't care if what he was doing was stupid or insubordinate. He wanted to be with her and he knew damn well Sakura wouldn't think twice about going against her old shishou if it were him in there instead of her. Then again, she would probably be the one healing him in the first place . . .

"I do." Tsunade interrupted him, voice taking on a strange, softer tone. "I understand. But Sakura is strong. I don't need to tell you that. I promise you, she's going to make it through this."

"Would you bet on it?" Kakashi shot back, fully expecting her to punch him through a few walls. Instead, her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before looking away. The first hint of panic touched her features as the mask dropped from her face. What a smartass question, she thought. Everyone knew she always lost her bets, but to answer with the opposite seemed almost taboo. Like she would be jinxing the closest thing to a daughter she had. Or would it be the other way around when taking her past record into consideration?

"Fine." Tsunade retorted quietly, turning and making her way to Sakura's side. Kakashi stood in the doorway for a moment in confusion before taking the invitation. The medics were already hard at work at knitting bone and flesh back together, but it was evident by their sweat and looks of pained determination that they were struggling to contain the life-threatening injuries. Tsunade's own chakra glowed green from her hands as she took charge of one of the more serious gashes on Sakura's side. Displaying fierce determination herself, Kakashi caught the Godaime muttering to herself now and then but the words were too quiet to catch from his vantage point in the corner.

"Tsunade-sama!" A young, male medic called out, looking up in alarm. Kakashi tensed, wanting to know what was wrong but the woman's reply was only a stern look and a nod. Her chakra glowed brighter as she continued to heal the broken shinobi. Kakashi wondered if the medics worked this diligently on every case brought to them. If Sakura were any model for the medic-nin of Konoha, then that was probably true. Sakura was so caring and driven to save everyone who came under her care. Still, Kakashi had never quite seen the same look of fiery insistence that flashed in the pink-haired kunoichi's eyes when healing a patient. That must have been just Sakura. She opened her heart to everybody, sometimes caring so much for another person that she forgot about herself. Kakashi frowned and his jaw tightened. Maybe he _should_ have been in the waiting room. Being in the same room was actually suffocating him with bad thoughts of what could happen and what might go wrong, and each little glance between medics made his fist curl tighter.

"Tsunade-sama!" Another medic cried this time and Tsunade gritted her teeth.

"I know!" She shouted icily and Kakashi watched in amazement at the tears that threatened to spill from the woman's eyes. The sight made his stomach turn in fear. Something was wrong. The dark-haired medic that had shouted gave the Hokage a look of remorse before the glow dissipated from her hands and she stepped away. Tsunade, however, kept going and desperately forced her chakra out and into the woman before her. One by one, Kakashi watched as the other three medics withdrew their chakra and stepped away.

"What are you doing?" Tsunade shouted with pained anger in her voice.

"Tsunade-sama . . ." One of the male medics spoke softly, looking anywhere but at their strong leader on the verge of tears.

"She's gone," Another medic supplied.

Tsunade stared at her hands and swallowed against the rawness in her throat. Closing her eyes tightly, she raised a hand and wiped at them angrily, releasing a shuddering breath. No. This could't be happening. Sakura had been her apprentice, had been like a daughter to her. In that respect, Tsunade bitterly remembered something about parents never having to bury their children, and she figured the feeling was the same for her now. Chest tightening, the honey-eyed Hokage let a few tears slip past her defences before remembering the stubborn ass-of-a-man who had pushed his way into the room, so to speak. Another wave of despairity washed over her at the thought of him, but when she looked up, he was gone. The medics eyed her carefully as she took a step back from the table. She didn't worry about his feelings toward her. She didn't have to worry about him never forgiving her. But still, she worried.

She knew he would never forgive himself.

****

Kakashi had made his silent exit upon the words of the female medic, the words he'd repeated in his head since finding his cherry blossom in that godforsaken cell hours ago.

_She's gone. _

Pushing chakra he didn't have into his feet, he jumped across the rooftops of dark homes with peacefully sleeping citizens inside, the strain on his body forgotten and the light-headedness of overusing one's chakra ignored. Usually, the emotionless mask was a tactic to distance himself from others and a way to ensure the smooth completion of missions. Kakashi was surprised this time to find that the mask was gone, yet he remained the same. Emotionless. He felt nothing and he hated it. It seemed like an injustice to Sakura. A betrayal. He didn't even feel upset. Just . . . nothing.

_She's gone._

He'd cried for his father and Obito and even when news of Rin's death had reached him, though he'd never admit it. After the deaths of the important people in his life, one after the other, he'd been engulfed by a storm of emotions. Rage and the feeling of intense betrayal from his father's suicide. Guilt and worthlessness as he watched Obito be crushed by stone. Sadness and regret when Rin's death left him completely alone in the world, even if he had other jounin acquaintances and hadn't spoken to Rin since just after Obito's death. But now, he wished to feel just one of those things to remind him he was alive, even if Sakura was not.

_She's gone._

Dropping down in the middle of one of the training grounds, he stood lifelessly like a scarecrow in a field, waiting for some unknown feeling to broadside him. The field was dark and silent, save for the rustling of leaves and brush with the occasional breeze. Stars and moon were covered by heavy, gray clouds and hardly any shadows were cast without the latter's illumination. Not in a million years had he been expecting this day. He had known he would die long before his pink-haired partner and accepted it willingly. He didn't want to be there when she was gone. He'd thought Sakura would be the one important person he could keep. The one to remember him instead of always being the other way around. Fate must be smiling cruelly down on him tonight. He must have been wrong in his assumption.

_She's gone._

"Gone . . ." Kakashi didn't like the taste the word left in his mouth. This had to be some sick nightmare or hell, or both. He knew he was angry and sad and upset in more ways than he could count, but he couldn't make himself feel it. A smile that held no feeling whatsoever graced his masked features, almost as if mocking himself. It figures that without her, he couldn't feel anything. For the past three years she had been the only thing that made getting up early in the morning for tiresome missions worth it. Her laugh could bring a smile to his face and her touch alone could eliminate all thought that wasn't directed toward the kunoichi. He had forced himself to ignore it, though, because to dwell on such things was something he didn't want to get into. It would only complicate matters and he would rather be blissfully ignorant. But now, his mind was working in overdrive.

He remembered every casual touch. Every time she played with his hair and commented on the lack of style, all the while with an affectionate smile on her face that said she didn't really want him to change. Memories of sparring sessions and nights spent on watch while she slept peacefully in her bedroll beneath the stars when an inn wasn't available. He remembered when she'd tried to pull down his mask when she thought he had fallen asleep after one particular sparring session, but he'd caught her in the act. Kakashi realized now that she never had seen his face. If he'd ever wanted to remove his mask for anyone, it was her. Now he hated the damn thing.

Walking to a tree automatically without actually making his legs go, he sat down and stared across the training ground. Still waiting for the flood to come. For the anger and the pain. Still waiting. But he had always been waiting for her and he always would. She had left him and he felt cheated, because he was still alive. But she had taken more from him than he could comprehend. She had taken everything. Everything that was him.

She _was_ everything.

He's gone, too.

****

"Should I call it, Tsunade-sama?" The young male medic asked hesitantly, caution in his step toward the woman. Tsunade acted like she hadn't heard him, staring at the lifeless girl before her. _Call it . . . time of death. _The words made her sick to her stomach. This couldn't be it, could it? Suddenly, a thought sprang to mind and she inhaled sharply. Would she do it? Of course she _could_, but it was a steep price to pay.

"Tsunade-sama?" The man asked again and this time she looked up, meeting his eyes with a new determination.

"Not yet, Suko." Tsunade said, strength finding her voice. "I need you to take a message to the elders."

"The council? Why?" The young man seemed startled.

"Because they're gonna hate me enough for what I'm about to do. Might as well give them some warning." Tsunade released a breath.

"What . . . _are_ you going to do?" A female medic spoke up.

"Something very stupid. Something I never thought I'd ever do. Something that will save Sakura."


	4. Alive

**A/N: Wow. I honestly had not planned on continuing this story, but I reread it today and all of my ideas came flooding back to me. My hands itched to type it all out, so here I am. I have no excuses for such shameful tardiness other than pure and simple laziness. I also lost interest in writing for a few months (it wasn't a very good time for me). For that, I apologize. There is some very stark contradiction in Sakura's half of this chapter and Kakashi's. I'm still not positive what will happen when those completely separate halves meet in the next chapter, but I'm working on it. I am not guaranteeing speedy updates from now on, but I appreciate anyone who still bothers to read this after so long. Thank you, all of you. You make me smile :)**

**This one's a bit longer than I planned, but I hope you enjoy it. I'm trying to get back in the hang of writing this thing. **

**Chapter Four**

**Alive**

The first sound to reach the kunoichi's ears was that of a songbird perched atop the wooden window pane at her side. Even though the tune was light and soothing, it held a hollow emptiness she could not place. The slats of sunlight spilling across her blanketed legs gave no warmth, the gentle breeze ruffling her rosette locks no escape from the stiffling depression of the tiny hospital room. She drew in a gasp, filling her lungs until they felt they would burst, and wished sleep would overtake her once more. She was suffocating and no amount of air could relieve the tightening pressure on her chest. A soft whimper escaped her parted lips, airy and painful. Her throat was dry as a desert, her lips cracked.

Her eyes scanned her surroundings and she quickly deduced her location as being the Konoha hospital. The antiseptic smell and sterile whiteness of it all should have felt like home. When she wasn't on the mission roster you could always find her elbow deep in surgery or knitting broken bones and torn flesh for shinobi and civilians alike. But today she couldn't help but feel strangled by the emptiness of the room. Her gaze flickered to the half-open window and a sudden longing to be out there, anywhere as long as it was away from this room, overwhelmed her. Before she could concoct some sluggish plan to escape, knowing she was really in no shape to pull a disappearing act if the aches and pains littering her body were any indication, a civilian nurse entered her room. Her face was plain and she looked bored to tears. In her small, delicate hands was a tray with a few syringes and a new line for the kunoichi's IV.

CRASH!

The metal tray clattered to the ground, briefly filling the room with a sound of thunder. Syringes rolled haphazardly across the tiled floor. A startled, choked sound tore itself from the nurse's throat, half-scream, half-sob. Sakura stared at the woman, confusion pulling her brows together and a frown on her parched lips. Alright, so she figured she might look a little worse for wear but surely she didn't look _that bad_, Sakura thought with a twinge of annoyance. The woman had set eyes on her for no less than five seconds before stumbling like she'd seen a ghost.

"Excuse me-" Sakura forced out, her voice hoarse and cracked.

"You're awake!" The nurse interrupted, voice awash with awe, brown eyes the size of dinner plates. "She's awake!"

"What are you . . . ?" Sakura's voice trailed off as the woman ran from the room, leaving the scattered remains of her supplies on the floor. An unnatural silence swept over the room. The pink-haired kunoichi frowned and stared at her hands, various shades of yellow, purple and blue from healing bruises. Maybe this was some sort of dream and she was still sleeping blissfully in a hospital bed somewhere. Maybe she was dead. The last thing she could remember was a bar. A bar and a man named Hyoko. Or perhaps it was Hyoto? Yes, Hyoto. The mission details flooded into her mind but they were hazy and she couldn't remember anything past her initial meeting with the man. It had been a simple reconassaince mission, but as her eyes slid across her body again and again she realized something must have gone wrong. Terribly wrong.

No less than a moment later, the nurse returned with a caravan of medics in her wake.

Sakura immediately picked out a familiar face among the crowd, a young medic-nin she had been training for a few months in her down time between missions.

"Miyu, what's going on here?" Sakura attempted to sound authoritative, but her voice only sounded more hoarse and pathetic.

"Sakura-san!" Miyu squeaked, flitting to the girl's side with unnatural speed. Her watery blue eyes glistened with unshed tears as she overlooked the older kunoichi. She reached out once or twice to touch the rosette-haired woman but always drew back as if afraid any kind of physical contact might shatter an unbelievable illusion. "We didn't think the jutsu had taken! We assumed you were . . . that it had been a waste . . . that too much time . . . Sakura-san!"

"Calm down, Miyu." Sakura goaded, reaching out weakly and patting the girl's trembling hand. "What are you talking about?"

"The jutsu!" She exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world.

"_What_ jutsu?" Sakura was growing irritable and impatient. She was tired of being gawked at like some kind of sideshow.

"That's enough."

All eyes snapped to the new voice coming from behind the gaggle of nurses and medics that had formed in the doorway of the kunoichi's room. They parted easily as the dark-haired woman stepped through, a tired smile on her face.

"May we have some privacy, please?" Shizune asked, though it sounded more like an order. The group balked for a moment, stuck between wishing to obey their superior and the very human desire to watch this astounding scene unfold. It was, afterall, a trainwreck waiting to happen. But Shizune was having none of it, ushering the group out quickly and shutting the door behind them. A small twist of her wrist and the lock clicked into place.

Shizune returned her gaze to the injured woman and smiled. It was a haggard smile, but it was warm and sincere. Her skin was pale and her eyes were dark and sunken. She looked like she'd lost weight, her clothes hanging limply on thin shoulders and an even thinner waist. The first pinprick of anxiety hit Sakura as she wondered absently what had happened since she'd been brought in. The silence grated on her nerves.

"Shizune," Sakura started wearily, "Would you please tell me what's going on? What happened? How long have I been out?"

"In time, Sakura." Shizune murmured, voice much lower and vulnerable now that they were alone. "Maybe you'd like some more time to rest before-"

"I want to know now!" Sakura shouted and immediately bit back any more words that threatened to spill forth. Regret immediately flooded through her. Where was the carefully composed shinobi she'd worked so hard to become since her life had virtually gone to hell nine years ago? She was acting like a petulant child. She could blame it on exhaustion or pain, but she knew those were only empty excuses. She was better than this. She was patient. She was acting like a real bitch, she surmised.

"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered, eyes falling to her lap. "It's just . . ."

"I understand." Shizune offered up another tiny smile. "We've all been under a lot of stress lately."

A heavy silence settled upon them for a few moments before Shizune decided she'd given Sakura enough time to compose herself. It was silly to think she could prepare the pink-haired kunoichi for the news she was about to deliver, but she hoped Sakura was strong enough to accept it. It could tear her apart from the inside out if she wasn't. Shizune made a small prayer before the next words left her lips.

"Sakura," She hesitated, averting her eyes shamefully. "Tsunade-sama is dead."

* * *

The kunai hit the tree stump with a dull thud, sinking it's blade a good three or four inches in. A gloved hand wrapped around the handle and pulled the weapon from the wood, one dark eye examining the ragged gash it left. He was holding back today, his heart not quite in it. The sun glinted off the dull metal as he dropped the blade into his pouch and crouched in the shade beneath a large tree. The smell of fresh flowers drifted past his nose and he watched as a lazy breeze made the leaves whisper some unknown conspiracy above him. Spring was in full force today, but still he shivered.

"Hey, man!" A large hand clapped him on his back, pulling him from his momentary peace. "Raido and I are meeting up with some guys for a drink this afternoon, you in?"

Kakashi's uncovered eye fixed the man with a dark gaze, as if asking that simple question had been overstepping some concealed boundary. Genma sighed and sat beside his masked friend.

"I just thought you might like a break from your usual schedule." Genma's voice was soft and understanding. "How long has it been now?"

"Four months."

"Without missing a beat . . ." Genma whispered and though Kakashi heard, he said nothing. A few moments of companionable silence passed between them before Genma placed his hand on the copy-nin's shoulder and stood up. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

"Yeah." Kakashi replied unenthusiastically, raising his hand in a half-assed goodbye. Genma dissapeared in a poof of smoke, leaving the silent man once more to his thoughts. He looked out across the clearing at the trees opposite him. Had it really been four months already? He could still remember that day like it was yesterday. Thinking he'd lost her, that it was his fault, only to receive the news from an ANBU operative sent by the Godaime herself that hope was not lost. It wasn't until a few days later that he learned exactly what price had been paid to save his partner. While the loss had hurt him, he was struck with guilt almost immediately. He was selfish, he figured, because for all the sacrifice Tsunade had made that night, he realized he only cared about one thing.

She was going to live.

At least, that's what they'd assumed. They thought the forbidden jutsu, the powerful life-giving jutsu that Chiyo-sama had used years ago to save Gaara, would work exactly as expected. They thought that as Tsunade's life passed out of her, it would immediately instill vitality in her beloved pupil. But as the Godaime slumped to the ground, her last breath expelled through still-warm lips, Sakura showed no change other than a short burst of chakra and a renewed heartbeat. Her eyes did not flicker open the with power of life, her muscles did not twitch, her body did not spasm into animation. She merely sat there, motionless as a corpse but with the pulse to prove otherwise.

The immediate assumption was that the jutsu did not take. It was by no means a perfect technique, and while the Hokage lay dead on the hospital floor, it could easily be assumed that the young woman's new heartbeat was a fluke, a coincidence. Shouldn't she have awoken by now if the technique _had_ been successful? But nonetheless, they had a live kunoichi on their hands and a dead Hokage. What were they to do?

The political ramifications were the first to rise to the forefront. As Sakura was being wheeled into what was to become her new home for the next four months, the council was fuming over Tsunade's decision. They called her selfish and slandered her memory. They said she was a drunk who acted on foolish impulses, that Sakura's meager life was not worth erasing their village's leader from existence. They did not care that she was the strongest kunoichi of her generation or the most skilled, medically speaking. To them, those were not viable excuses for Tsunade's brazen action. They could not understand how much the Godaime had grown to love Sakura or the promise she saw in her pink-haired pupil. They needed a new Hokage, a Rokudaime, and nothing else.

The first person that crossed their minds was Jiraiya. Though the council elders disliked the sannin as much as Tsunade, they knew they needed someone who was well-liked by the people, and whether he deserved it or not, the people of Konohagakure had heard the incredible tales of the Toad Sannin as he traveled the nations and saw him as a hero.

But they couldn't find him.

He had disappeared, it seemed. A blip on the radar that had permanently gone dark. They scoured the countries, spending invaluable weeks searching for the man but always came up empty. They saw this as another strike against his character. Of course he would disappear when his village needed him most. By then, rumors had started floating around Konoha with the absence of Tsunade. She was known to leave town every now and then for shameful gambling and drinking binges, but she always returned before she was truly missed (or rather, before the weight of the paperwork could snap her desk in two). Now it had been weeks and she was still gone. The small circle who had witnessed the sacrifice were sworn to secrecy, but still more rumors surfaced.

Now, four months later, the whole truth had not surfaced but the village knew their beloved Godaime was no more. They held a funeral for her in the customary style of a passing Hokage, quick to accept the council's lie that she had fallen ill due to old age which she hid with her age-transforming jutsu. The public, having never know how old she really was had no reason to doubt their trusted council and cried quietly at the funeral before returning to their lives. Times were peaceful with other villages so the lack of a new Hokage did not grate on the public's nerves just yet. The council took over all administrative duties while searching out new candidates. Those as young as Neji Hyuuga were even considered in their desperation. But one candidate always stood out among the rest. He was no doubt talented and intelligent. He was strategical, cunning, and loyal. He was truly the best fit to be Rokudaime. Not so young as to be wet behind the ears, but not a geezer, either. At the age of 35, he was ripe for the picking. Too bad he was so damn reluctant.

The first time the council summoned him to announce their proposal, he laughed at them. He apologized for his indiscretion, of course, but a smirk could still be seen beneath his dark mask. Were they crazy? Did they _know_ him? Sure, he was good at what he did, but he didn't think being Hokage required his specific skill sets. How often would his administrative responsibilities include tracking and assassination? He had horrible people skills and the emotions of a rock. He was not fit to lead the village, merely serve.

The second time, he ignored their summoning. The ANBU operative stood outside his door for an hour, hoping that after knocking and knocking and knocking, the silver-haired shinobi might come out of sheer annoyance. Kakashi just went back to sleep.

The third time, he threw the first thing he could find, in this case a scroll, so hard at the door that it splintered the wood on impact and through a small hole he could see the stunned face of the messenger. Needless to say, he hadn't been bothered since. But still, it felt like an inevitable weight hanging over his head and one day it was going to fall.

He knew he should accept the council's choice with grace and understanding, but the only thing he could wrap his mind around was his pink-haired partner. Whatever missions they passed his way were always simple, hoping he'd get bored and accept the council's offer while at the same time protecting their most valuable would-be successor to the Hokage name. He merely finished each mission as quickly as he could and resumed his daily routine. Train in the morning, either alone or with Genma, sometimes Guy, and spend his afternoons reading at the hospital.

Standing, Kakashi brushed the dirt and grass from his uniform and pulled out a familiar orange book. It was well-read, but still in impeccable condition. He flipped open to the page he'd left off on, but his mind wandered. Something seemed different today. Something was off. Whether it was good or bad, he couldn't tell. He just kept on walking in the direction of the hospital and turned page after page without really comprehending any of the words. As he approached a small clearing on the outskirts of the village, between the shops and the training grounds, he paused. His eye flickered to an exceptionally beautiful flower standing tall and proud amongst the blades of grass. It was dark red in the center and faded into a soft pink as it reached the edges of it's silken petals. Kakashi stared at the flower for a moment before an unknown force compelled him to stoop and pluck the flower from it's roadside home.

He stared at the flower as he walked. He wondered if she'd like it. He felt a strange warmth swell across his chest, encompassing his beating heart with it's heat until he found it hard to breath. Maybe he was having a heart-attack, he wondered, as the strangeness spread across his limbs. His skin tingled as a cool breeze passed. Maybe he was getting sick. Shouldn't he be worrying? he wondered. His fingers tightened gently around the stem of the flower. He raised his head to the vibrant blue sky, sun beating down on his masked face, and smiled.

It was only a small smile, imperceptable to anyone who might pass him, but it was there.

For the first time in four months, he felt alive.


End file.
